A little too soft for ageability, but a very delicious wine. Not quite in the league of the wonderful 2007, but offers rich, ripe flavors of blackberries, cherries, cola and cedar, with all kinds of earthy, minerally complexities. Give it a firmer mouthfeel and the score would soar. ——S.H.(12/31/2011)—— 90

You don’t want to open this wine anytime soon. It’s tightly wound and immature, offering a blast of primary fruit flavors that haven’t yet integrated with the oak. It tastes almost sweet now, although it’s technically bone dry, with waves of black cherries, blackberries, mocha, anise liqueur and smoky oak vanillins, followed by a long, spicy finish. Hold until 2012, if you can, and should drink well beyond that.——S.H.(12/31/2009)—— 95

It’s not hard these days to get Cabernet to ripen to cherry-berry pie, currant and chocolaty richness. It is hard to squeeze that into a wonderfully crafted, classic structure, where the wine finishes perfectly dry. Bill Smith has accomplished all this in this wonderful, Bordeaux-esque wine. It’s extraordinarily delicious, and with those Howell Mountain tannins, should develop for many years. ——S.H.(2/1/2009)—— 94